What is Swarming?

Emergence Mathematics and Swarming Algorithms

Emergence as a concept that begins as far back as Aristotle, and has been used to enhance our understanding of economics and advanced physics. It describes how small activities and patterns at the ground level result in unpredictable, big movements and changes in the whole.

We see emergence in nature, in how snowflakes and honeycombs develop or traffic patterns change. Seemingly-insignificant Interactions at the smallest levels combine to create natural artwork or result in massive impacts.

Swarms thrive in complex environments where there is no central authority and no one individual has the whole story.

Picture how ants, bees, or birds flock to explore their environment to find food, or how they communicate threats. Alone they appear to wander, but as a group, they move together when one finds a food source or detects an intruder. Without any centralized organization, behavior emerges and they collectively concentrate their efforts.

Application to Digital Risk

Emergence and Swarm are prime tools in providing executives at the top level with the context of how digital exposures can result in existential risks to the organization.